Woman, 64, Found Dead in Astoria Houses with a Knife in Her Back

Astoria Houses

May 9, 2018 By Tara Law

A 64-year-old woman was found dead with a knife in her back in Astoria Houses this morning, police said.

Police entered the victim’s 28-02 8th St. apartment at about 9:50 a.m. after receiving a 911 call. They discovered the woman, identified as Donna Blanchard, unconscious with a knife in her back. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

PIX 11 reported that Blanchard was found after a home health aid was unable to enter the apartment. The aid went to Blanchard’s daughter, who lives in an apartment next door, to tell her about the locked door.

Blanchard had been recently discharged from the hospital, PIX 11 reported.

The police are conducting an investigation, although have yet to rule it a homicide. There have been no arrests.

The NYC Ferry system is set to undergo a significant expansion in coming months, with the Astoria route, connecting the western Queens neighborhood to Wall Street, getting a new stop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard this spring.

A 24-year-old Brooklyn man who crashed his car on the BQE in 2017 and left a 25-year-old Astoria woman inside his burning vehicle to die was sentenced yesterday to four to 12 years in prison, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.